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I started testosterone replacement therapy at age 31 after being diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism. Researching hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with testosterone was difficult because all of the info was for women or bodybuilders. So I decided to create a site for average guys looking into TRT.

20 Responses

I need help! I need someone to talk to me about testosterone levels. My boyfriend started to have these symptoms–fatigue (and I mean tired & sleeping all the time), significant weight gain, depressed, and absolutely no interest or sex drive at all. Well, I talked him into going to his family doctor & ask about getting his testosterone level checked. A few days later, the doctors office called him in for his results. His testosterone level was 31!! Apparently a level this low is unheard of. The doctor had never seen levels this low and acted as if this was very serious. He referred him to a specialist, but the earliest appt he can get is 3 months away. I have searched & searched the web for information and cannot find anything on a level this low. We have 3 months to wait to find out anything! If anyone can help us with any info at all, please please comment. Thank you for anything you may do to help.

Don’t panic. If your husband needs to go on HRT then that’s what he’ll have to do. It isn’t the end of the world and he will feel MUCH better. Like a new man!

As for the low testosterone numbers, everyone’s fluctuate throughout the day. He should have three tests done at different times of the day to really get an idea of where his levels are at. That could have been his lowest level of the day, or of the week. One test does not give enough data to make an assumption on.

Good luck to you and your husband.

PS: Be patient and understanding with him. It sucks to have low testosterone as a man.

I just got back from my doc. Gave blood for 3rd test in 5 weeks. I asked them to test everything this time. Or at least more than the last 2 tests. My symptoms are lack of motivation, low sex drive, ED, irritability, and just a general feeling of being in a “fog”. My first test checked thyroid & free test. Thyroid was good. Free test was 8.7. I’m 38 and was told my range is 8.8 – 27. This test was around 8:45am. 5 days later I had another test on my Free T, this time at 5:15pm. It came back at 7.2. This was 5 weeks ago. Doc had told me then to change up my workouts for motivation( I guess) and gave me scipt for Viagra. This time he gave me script for Bupropion(spelling?) for depression. I’m to go back in a month. Thanks for letting me tell a bit of my story.

My doc put me on AD’s also – they fear the testosterone replacement ~ Sadly the AD’s put me into a very deep depression that only subsided once I took myself off of them. You know, how do you get your doc to hear what you are saying “I’m not depressed doc” ~ “Sure you are, here’s some Wellbutrin” “Oh that’s not working? Let’s try *insert drug name here*” and so on and so on….It’s been almost a year of hell, had to go off work because the depression was so bad. My test #’s dropped 18.8% in two years, which is still in the normal range…but oh my god…how could that possibly be a negative thing if I am still within normal range…you’re a genious doc…of course I wouldn’t feel that much of a change (note a crapload of sarcasm there). I’m frustrated, we don’t have any specialists here and very few GP’s. I did speak to a doctor online (ten phone) however they wanted 3000$ for six months of treatment ~ I don’t have that kind of cash, however if I did, I would be all over it. My insurance will pay for orals and injectables but how do I get my doc to hear me …they are more interested in dealing with symptoms than finding the root of the issue.

Thanks TRT. My doc finally agreed to the HRT this morning – I have to have full blood work done first to know where I am with everything else as a baseline, so as it looks now I’ll start next Friday! Antidepressants had sales of 12 billion in the US in 07. It’s now the first line of defense in treating people #4 on the list of drugs sold. It’s the drug of choice for pretty much anything these days. And they have no concrete evidence of what it’s doing to our brains – there’s no guarantee that my memory will return to normal – it went to crap over the last year…can’t remember what I did last week or even what I ate yesterday and have to write everything down that I need to do or else I forget..royal pain in the ass and I’m angry about it.
I feel badly for Mike (above) he’s about to go through what my doc did for me. Wellbutrin was the start, “change your workout routine PJ maybe that will help” – yeah ok, will do that when I get my energy and motivation back and can get back to the gym…and Viagra, just another pill solution to a symptom. If it is down and Viagra brings it up then there isn’t anything wrong with the equipment. And if he’s thinking you have depression which is a mental illness he should be seeing you weekly, it’s not a game, it’s our lives and “well being” should be on the line not his time frames and when he can fit you in. Wellbutrin (Bupropion) sent me to hell and back because it wasn’t what I needed…one of the side effects is that it can cause depression. Fight with your doc or get a new one…I choose to fight now.
I’ll keep posting here if anyone is interested in hearing how it’s going with the replacement.

Hi all,
I see my last post was in June. I have a bit to update. After my 7.2 Free T, I had another test about a week later. This one came back at 6.3 Free T. So he put me on Androgel, 3 pumps/day for about 2 months. My Free T was up to 8.7 again. Up but still low. He then switched me to 200mg Test cyp. injections every other week. I just got my 3rd shot this past Fri. I haven’t really noticed much improvement. PJ I have been taking the Bupropion for a month now and honestly haven’t noticed much. Maybe I’ll notice something in the second month. I’m with you. Yeah I’m might be a little depressed but what’s causing it? Hmmm, lack of energy, ED, low libido, the “fog” my head seemed to be in, etc,etc. I’m not thrilled with the thought of being on TRT for the rest of my life, but if helps these symptoms than I’ll do it. Btw I plan on quitting the AD, but I told my doc I’d give it a try.
My last visit was for blood draw for cholesterol. I spoke with the Physicians Assistant this time. Talked to her about seeing a specialist either in my area or out of state. She said she would have no prob with that and she would pass it on to my doc. So we’ll see where that leads me.
I’m not one to promote or trash other sites but there is some real good info about TRT at a site calle allthingsmale.com. You may want to check out the forums.
Good luck,
Mike

Hey Mike,
If you do need the AD, great, then you should be on them, I should mention that I am not against them they are just over prescribed for everything, doctors aren’t looking anymore, they are just prescribing. They aren’t happy pills to make everything else in your life rosy or to make you forget that you feel “off”. Are you just down or depressed? From what I’ve read LT can cause depression or feelings of being down or blue. I’m looking forward to starting my treatments this week and have a lot of hope for it, my doc seems to think the placebo effect will take the forefront for me first because I believe this is my issue and believe this is my solution. I hope he’s right and that just starting it will give me the lift or sense of well-being. I was hoping that when I saw your name as the poster that it would be fantastic news of how your treatment is going…but it sound like it is going so great. Doesn’t it take 3 to 6 months for noticeable improvement? I hope you get to see a specialist man. Keep posting, am interested in how things go for you because I’m in the same boat!

Hi PJ,
I’ve never really felt depressed just down I guess. All the other symptoms certainly don’t put you in a “great” mental state. PJ I did have a few positives with the Androgel. That mental “fog” I experienced did seem to go away. And I do think my libido was a little better. There has been no difference in the way I’m feeling with injections.
Now for my latest update. Doc’s office called and told me my T numbers were not improving. I didn’t bother to ask for the number. I know everyone is different when it comes to dosing and method (gel or injection) and how they react. Iam now waitng to hear from the office of a local endocrinologist. This is the endo that I talked to the PA about. I have no idea whats next. I’m a little worried, just because I have no idea why my T is so low. I know I’m not alone and my wife is very supportive. She may come with me to see the endo.
Yeah PJ, I have read the same thing about 3 – 6 months for noticeable improvement. From reading the forums on some other websites, I know it will probably take some manipulation of other hormones besides testosterone to get everything balanced and feeling good again.
I hope everything starts working out for you PJ.

Thanks Mike, hope things work out for you too. My doc pushed me forward “again” to this week. I had to bring him in information that he didn’t have, updated medical journals and findings that he didn’t know about. The hormone scare brought on by the WHO test of 02 is what he has in his head however he doesn’t know that the 02 study was flawed to no end and the findings keep changing all from the same data ~ the study should be completely discredited due to the way it was handled. In his mind – hormone treatment is bad regardless of gender. Again, remember I am dealing with a GP, no specialists where I live.
Just sitting around waiting for Friday again..
It’s been a couple of weeks Mike, any improvements?

My last injection was on Sep 3rd. I really haven’t noticed any improvements or set backs. My appointment with the endo is on Sep. 29th. It’s not the exact doctor that I talked to my Physicians Assistant about but he is in the same office. I’m sure there will be plenty of blood work and questions. I’m hoping theres not a long wait between the first and second visits. I just hate the thought of blood work on the 29th and then wait 6 weeks to have more blood work, just to see if hormone levels have changed. I just need to be patient.
PJ I hope your GP understands that hormone treatment is not a BAD thing when treated with the help of a doctor. Just my opinion, but if your GP isn’t helping, search for another doctor. Good luck.

Hi everybody, Im Robert and new to the blog. I started HRT 8 weeks ago (T-gel and 25 mg DHEA daily). I am 55 and my T count was 200 and the free was very low as well as the DHEA. I have noticed an obvious improvement in quality of erections – impressive actually. Just ahd my forst follow up blood draw this week an should know my results in another week or so. I ahd all the symptoms, nght sweats, tired, mood swings, aching bones. I got nowhere with my PCP – a very qualified specialist who is very comprehensive, thorough and very experinced. I just want to be healthy and in an optimum range for a good quality of life.

I have had testosterone replacement for a long time now because of a botched hernia repair. However, it was hard to get a doctor to finally listen to me as they always say women need hormone replacement. I was laughed at and then didn’t want to say any more until I finally found someone who would listen. Thanks for your site to at least give one’s side of it.
Why is it a laughing matter when men need help and not when a woman needs it?

Just got my test results back from the endo. Everything came back in the “normal” range. Except Vit. D was the very LOW end of normal. So, I really don’t know what’s next. I think I’ll go through the winter with NO prescribed testosterone. I’ll try to supplement Vit. D. I know it’s about how you feel and not your numbers. So I guess I’ll see how I feel through the winter and go from there.

Thanks for the update Mike. I hope you don’t need to end up going back to TRT. I hear the connection between Low T and low Vitamin D all the time, but I don’t know which is the chicken and which is the egg. Is your vitamin D low because your body isn’t absorbing it due to low testosterone, or do you have low testosterone because your body isn’t producing it due to low vitamin D?

I guess I should have had my vitamin D levels checked before going back on testosterone. Maybe I’ll get them checked when things settle down.

Yes I tried it all. Here’s the thing: If your testosterone is just a wee bit on the low side (say, 400 – 500 ng/ml) you could probably boost it by using something like zinc or horny goat weed or test or tribulus. But if you have a real problem, a medical condition, then those aren’t going to be of much use.

Aspirin isn’t a chemical, by the way. I’m pretty sure it is/was made from willow tree bark.

My suggestion is to get your blood tested if you think you have low T. If you do, then try to find out the cause before taking anything.

ok regarding aspirin. Should have used another example. Live the healthy lifestyle

Funny thing is I have good days and bad days regarding the fatigue and mental fogginess. Some days super sharp and others not so. But libido is still non-existent and has been for the previous few months. I am 46 BTW normal weight and cardio fit. (do not lift weights)

Well I booked with the endo. for a full blood test but they are booked until August.

Stormy. Good luck at the doctor’s next month. I hope your levels are normal and you can get back to feeling good without lifelong TRT. If not, at least you know there are plenty of other guys going through the same thing.